Ephesians 2:7 Grace on Display

… that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Having considered how God has blessed us – made us alive, raised us up, and seated us with Christ in heavenly places – now, in verse 7, we come to the designed reason that God has done all of this. A part of God’s motive in salvation has already been stated in verse 4: because of the great love with which He loved us. But now we come to His actual intent and purpose. The first word of verse 7 is the Greek word hina, which suggests a conclusive statement about the designed intent is to follow. This designed purpose, revealed in verses 7-10 is two-fold, and both reasons are related. First, in verse 7 we find God’s intention to make His children the objects of endless displays of grace. This is both to our eternal benefit and for His eternal glory. The second intention is that His people would manifest His saving grace by doing good works – the ultimate object again being that these works would manifest God’s glory on earth (Mt 5:16).

The words, “He might show” translate a Greek verb suggesting to display or exhibit. In the New Testament this verb is always in the middle voice meaning “to show for oneself.” In the eternal life of His people, God purposed to place the exceeding riches of His grace on exhibition. Thus believers can be considered trophies of God’s grace, created in Christ Jesus, to display that grace now – in this life – and forever. The kindness toward us, described here, is more than the general providential goodness and mercy that God extends to all creation, but is specifically a saving kindness found in Christ Jesus. Notice how Paul lingers long and lovingly on the themes of God’s amazing goodness to those who deserve condemnation. His mercy is rich; His love is great; His kindness immeasurably gracious!

It is also important that we not fall into the error of thinking that the love, grace and kindness of God toward us are because of Christ’s work; in fact, the opposite is true – God demonstrates His prior love for us in Christ’s death (Rom 5:8). The atoning work of Christ did not need to persuade an otherwise angry Father to love His children. On the contrary, the Father loved us and did not spare His own Son to save us as a result. Let us not miss the message which Paul is emphasizing here – that the lavish kindness of God displayed in Christ toward an undeserving people is the best manner in which God fulfills His ultimate purpose to display His glory. It’s a win-win scenario – human blessing and God’s glory are in perfect accord.

Further, we see that this display of grace will be for “the ages to come.” This has been understood in one of two ways. First, it refers to the future generations between Paul’s writing until the second coming of Christ. Every generation can look back to God’s grace and mercy in saving a remnant before them – and so can have hope that God is indeed mighty to save. But then, beyond this earth, “ages to come” describes the future of believers in eternity with Christ. God’s utmost end in the salvation of His people is not fully attained until we come to this. The Gospel reveals infinite grace to us, but there is, in the realm of our experience, an aspect of grace which is reserved for eternity, which we cannot fully comprehend now – one in which the present blessings, as great as they are, are only preparative. The effect of grace in our lives will shine out of God’s display cabinet for all eternity, and you are beneficiary of it!

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Ephesians 2:5-6 You A.R.E. With Christ (Alive, Raised, Enthroned)

But God … made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places Ephesians 2:4-6

We last left mankind, dead in his trespasses and sins; but despite this, God, because of His rich mercy and the great love with which he loved us, does three things: He 1) makes us alive, 2) raised us up, and 3) enthroned us with Christ. These are the spiritual counterparts of Christ’s own quickening, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father. As Paul speaks of our experience with Christ, he does not mean to suggest that we experience the exact same thing that Christ did, but that our new life is made possible by Christ’s resurrection and our union with Him – the believer shares in what God has done for Christ. This is a truth almost too glorious to believe!

Each of the three principle verbs, made alive, raised and seated, are compound verbs beginning with the Greek prefix, ‘soon’ – meaning together with. These verbs are single Greek verbs meaning, “made-alive-together-with,” “raised-together-with,” and “made-to-sit-together-with.” Each of these verbs are in the aorist form, so they speak of a living reality, secured in the past. Paul does not speak of these in terms of future blessings; he affirms that though we were dead, our resurrection and exaltation with Christ are not merely potentially secured and reserved for future enjoyment, but are for our pleasure and satisfaction in the here and now. Paul’s goal in telling us this is not merely that we might know this doctrinally or theologically, but in truth and life.

On the surface it might appear that these three main verbs all describe the same experience, but in fact, just as Jesus’ quickening in the tomb, and subsequent resurrected life and ascension were three distinct actions, likewise we are not only made alive, but raised and enthroned with Him as well. We not only are quickened to life, but there follows a resurrected life. Upon being quickened, we do not continue to live in our graves bound in grave clothes, but are resurrected to a life among the living – and then beyond that a heavenly life – seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Just as the spiritual death described in verse 1 is real and personal, so the life described herein is not some theological abstraction, but is as real a blessing, as our spiritual death was in actuality, a curse. The life given corresponds to the death described, so as the death described is spiritual, so the life is as well. So when Christ was raised from the dead, all of His people were in actuality, spiritually quickened and raised as well – we know this by faith, not by sight, but it is no less genuine an experience.

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Judges 8:22-35 The Ruler

Remember, the book of Judges is the story of the inconsistency of the Israelites and the permissive lifestyle in which they lived. Looking around at their neighbors, they were attracted to the bright lights and pleasures, and the possessions and wealth of their neighbors. Instead of living a life of holiness, righteousness, and spiritual separation, the Israelites began to compromise with their neighbors and live the very same permissive lifestyle as the unbelievers who surrounded them. They gave in to the immoral, covetous, and idolatrous ways of the Canaanites, even to the point of intermarrying with them. And once intermarriage took place, it was just a short step to serving and worshipping the false gods of the Canaanites.

This compromising, permissive lifestyle even had a significant impact upon Gideon, influencing him greatly. Despite the wonderful growth and victorious faith experienced by Gideon, he too began to demonstrate a heart that was not pure toward God, and a life that was not totally committed to Him. Tragically, as Gideon aged — from this point on until his death — he slipped more and more into the permissive, wicked lifestyle of his unbelieving neighbors. He compromised more and more until by the time of his death he became an utter disgrace to the holiness demanded by God. He had rejected the throne, but he had lived like a king: requesting wealth from the people, securing a large harem and family, acquiring the royal, purple robes worn by kings and making an ephod, a breastplate to be worn only by the priests. Gideon did not exalt himself to be king, but he lived like a king. The permissive, compromising life he lived up until his death is clearly spelled out by Scripture. Gideon had become a man who, like the world around him, had an inconsistent testimony and witness.

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